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All indicators of influenza activity remain low.
 A human novel coronavirus has been identified in a patient hospitalised with severe respiratory illness in London after recently arriving from the Middle East. In recent months this new human coronavirus was also identified in a patient with acute respiratory illness in Saudi Arabia, who subsequently died. Further information and updates are available on the HPA website.
 The Department of Health have produced an influenza vaccination leaflet for winter 2012/13. The influenza chapter in the Green Book has also been updated.
 The concentration and dosing instructions of TAMIFLU® oral suspension have been revised for the 2012/13 influenza season. Please see the MHRA communication for further information.
 This is the last summary influenza report  a full report will be published from next week with the start of the 2012/13 influenza reporting season.
...

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

GP consultation rates and indicators of influenza activity are low at the start of the 2012/13 influenza season.

Weekly influenza GP consultation rates remain low in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
oIn week 40 (ending 7 October 2012), the weekly primary care ILI consultation rate was low in England (4.5 per 100,000), Scotland (10.5 per 100,000), Northern Ireland (8.8 per 100,000) and Wales (4.0 per 100,000).
oThe weekly proportion of NHS Direct calls for cold/flu and fever (5-14yrs) were below the early warning thresholds for influenza in week 40.
oFour new acute respiratory disease outbreaks have been reported in the past seven days (two in England and two in Northern Ireland).

Virology
o2 (0.3%) of the 610 respiratory specimens reported to Data Mart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 40 (1 A(H1N1)pdm09 and 1 B). The proportion of samples positive increased for hMPV, increased for rhinovirus and remained stable for RSV, rhinovirus, parainfluenza and adenovirus.
oNo influenza positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 40.

Disease severity and mortality
oOne new admission to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza was reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 40.
oNo excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 40 in England and Wales as calculated by the HPA with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

Influenza vaccination
oUp to week 40, 17.0% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2011/12 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 9.6%.
oAmongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 6.9%.

International situation
oIn Europe, influenza viruses circulated very sporadically from weeks 21 to 39 2012  there is no evidence as yet that transmission has started in Europe.
oElsewhere in the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere seasonal influenza transmission has not yet been detected.

Novel coronavirus 2012
oSince 22 September 2012, two laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 have been reported globally with recent history of travel to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In the UK there has been one confirmed case to date.
...

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

Virology
o1 (0.2%) of the 486 respiratory specimens reported to Data Mart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 41 (1 A subtype not known). The proportion of samples positive increased for RSV and rhinovirus and remained stable for parainfluenza, adenovirus and hMPV.
oNo influenza positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 41.

Disease severity and mortality
oNo new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 41.
oNo excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 41 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

Influenza vaccination
oUp to week 41, 29.5% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 16.8%.
oAmongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 13.0%.

International situation
oDuring the first week of the 2012/13 influenza season, there was no evidence of significant influenza activity in Europe.
oElsewhere in the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere seasonal influenza transmission has not yet been detected.

Novel coronavirus 2012
oSince 22 September 2012, two laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 have been reported globally with recent history of travel to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In the UK there has been one confirmed case to date.
...

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

Virology
o5 (1.0%) of the 503 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 42 (4 A subtype not known and 1 B). The proportion of samples positive remained stable for RSV, rhinovirus, parainfluenza, adenovirus and hMPV.
oTwo influenza positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 42 (one A(H3) and one B).

Disease severity and mortality
oOne new admission to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (one B) was reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 42.
oNo excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 42 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

Influenza vaccination
oUp to week 42, 40.4% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 23.3%.
oAmongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 18.5%.

International situation
oDuring the second week of the 2012/13 influenza season, there was no evidence of significant influenza activity in Europe.
oElsewhere in the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere seasonal influenza transmission has not yet been detected.

Novel coronavirus 2012
oSince 22 September 2012, two laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 have been reported globally with recent history of travel to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In the UK there has been one confirmed case to date.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317136698227

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

 Weekly influenza GP consultation rates remain low in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. o In week 43 (ending 28 October 2012), the weekly primary care ILI consultation rate was low in England (4.3 per 100,000), Scotland (8.1 per 100,000), Northern Ireland (13.7 per 100,000) and Wales (4.7 per 100,000).
o The weekly proportion of NHS Direct calls for cold/flu and fever (5-14yrs) were below the early warning thresholds for influenza in week 43.
o No new acute respiratory disease outbreaks have been reported in the past seven days.

 Virology
o Five (1.0%) of the 511 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 43 (three A(H3), one A subtype not known and one B). The proportion of samples positive continued to increase for RSV, but decreased for rhinovirus. The proportions of samples positive for parainfluenza, adenovirus and hMPV remained low.
o Eight influenza positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 42 (five A(H3), one A(not subtyped) and two B).

 Disease severity and mortality
o One new admission to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (one A(H1N1)pdm09) was reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 43.
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 42 across the UK, as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 43, 48.9% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 28.7%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 23.1%.

 International situation
o During week 42 2012, there was no evidence of significant influenza activity in Europe.
o Elsewhere in the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere influenza activity remained low although sporadic detections of influenza viruses increased.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o Since 22 September 2012, two laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 have been reported globally with recent history of travel to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, including one diagnosed in the UK.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317136708535

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

 Weekly influenza GP consultation rates remain low in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. o In week 44 (ending 4 November 2012), the weekly primary care ILI consultation rate was low in England (4.4 per 100,000), Scotland (9.2 per 100,000), Northern Ireland (10.5 per 100,000) and Wales (5.9 per 100,000).
o The weekly proportion of NHS Direct calls for cold/flu and fever (5-14yrs) were below the early warning thresholds for influenza in week 44.
o One new acute respiratory disease outbreak has been reported in the past seven days.

 Virology
o 17 (2.5%) of the 669 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 44 (2 A(H3),11 A subtype not known and 4 B). The proportion of samples positive increased for RSV, decreased for rhinovirus and remained stable for parainfluenza, adenovirus and hMPV.
o Four influenza positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 44 (three A(H3) and one B).

 Disease severity and mortality
o Three new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (one A(H1N1)pdm09 and two A subtype not known) were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 44.
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 44 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 44, 54.8% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 33.0%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 26.4%.

 International situation
o During the fourth week of the 2012/13 influenza season, there has been no evidence of sustained influenza transmission in Europe.
o Many countries of the Northern Hemisphere temperate region are reporting increasing sporadic detections of influenza viruses but numbers are still low and none have crossed their seasonal threshold.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reported to WHO a new confirmed case of novel coronavirus; investigations are ongoing. This brings the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 reported globally to three. In the UK there has been one confirmed imported case to date.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317136883293

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

 Weekly influenza GP consultation rates remain low in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. o In week 45 (ending 11 November 2012), the weekly primary care ILI consultation rate was low in England (4.5 per 100,000), Scotland (14.6 per 100,000), Northern Ireland (9.6 per 100,000) and Wales (3.7 per 100,000).
o The weekly proportion of NHS Direct calls for cold/flu and fever (5-14yrs) were below the early warning thresholds for influenza in week 45.
o One new acute respiratory disease outbreak has been reported in the past seven days.

 Virology
o 9 (1.2%) of the 739 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 45 (1 A(H3), 2 A(H1N1)pdm09, 3 A subtype not known and 3 B). The proportion of samples positive increased for RSV, particularly in the under five year olds, and remained stable for rhinovirus, parainfluenza, adenovirus and hMPV.
o No influenza positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 45.

 RSV activity is now elevated. Monoclonal antibodies (Palivizumub) are indicated for the prevention of RSV in at-risk children. For further information please see the relevant chapter in the Department of Health Immunisation handbook.

 Disease severity and mortality
o Four new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (two A(H1N1)pdm09, one A subtype not known and one B) and one confirmed influenza death were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 45.
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 45 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 45, 60.8% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 37.5%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 29.8%.
o Provisional data from the first monthly collection of influenza vaccine uptake by frontline healthcare workers show 28.4% were vaccinated by 31 October 2012.

 International situation
o During the fifth week of the 2012/13 influenza season, there has been no evidence of sustained influenza virus transmission in Europe.
o Many countries of the Northern Hemisphere temperate region are reporting increasing detections of influenza viruses, particularly in North America and Western Europe, however none have crossed their seasonal threshold for ILI/ARI consultation rates.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reported to WHO a new confirmed case of novel coronavirus; investigations are ongoing. This brings the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 reported globally to three. In the UK there has been one confirmed imported case to date.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317137000634

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

Comment

I typed in the weekly provisional figures of deaths from England and Wales
they are not easy to find in one list, partial excel-lists only
so here is week 49-week 34, so people can find it with google
I'm planning to update this by editing

 Virology
o 18 (2.5%) of the 719 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 46 (2 A(H1N1)pdm09, 7 A subtype not known and 9 B). The proportion of samples positive increased for RSV, particularly in the under five year olds, increased for hMPV, decreased for rhinovirus, and remained stable for adenovirus and parainfluenza.
o One influenza B positive detection was recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 46.
 RSV activity is now elevated. Monoclonal antibodies (Palivizumub) are indicated for the prevention of RSV in at-risk children. For further information please see the relevant chapter in the Department of Health Immunisation handbook.

 Disease severity and mortality
o Three new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (one A(H1N1)pdm09, one A(H3N2) and one A subtype not known) and one confirmed influenza death were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 46.
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 46 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 46, 65.0% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 41.0%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 32.4%.
o Provisional data from the first monthly collection of influenza vaccine uptake by frontline healthcare workers show 28.4% were vaccinated by 31 October 2012.

 International situation
o During week 45 2012, there has been no evidence of sustained influenza virus transmission in Europe.
o Many countries of the Northern Hemisphere temperate region are reporting increasing detections of influenza viruses, particularly in North America and Western Europe, however none have crossed their seasonal threshold for ILI/ARI consultation rates.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reported a new confirmed case of novel coronavirus. This brings the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 reported globally to four. In the UK there has been one confirmed imported case to date.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317137122396

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

 Virology
o 30 (3.5%) of the 864 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 47 (2 A(H3), 5 A subtype not known and 23 B). The proportion of samples positive increased for RSV, particularly in the under five year olds, increased for rhinovirus, parainfluenza and adenovirus, and remained stable for hMPV.
o Three influenza A and one influenza B positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 47.

 RSV activity continues to increase. Monoclonal antibodies (Palivizumub) are indicated for the prevention of RSV in at-risk children. For further information please see the relevant chapter in the Department of Health Immunisation handbook.

 Disease severity and mortality
o Four new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (one A(H1N1)pdm09, two A(subtype not known) and one B) were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 47.
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 47 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 47, 67.9% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 43.8%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 34.1%.
o Provisional data from the first monthly collection of influenza vaccine uptake by frontline healthcare workers show 28.4% were vaccinated by 31 October 2012.

 International situation
o During week 46 2012, there is currently little evidence of sustained influenza virus transmission in Europe  much of the clinical activity with influenza-like illness will be due to other respiratory pathogens.
o Countries of the Northern Hemisphere temperate region report increasing detections of influenza viruses, however none have crossed their seasonal threshold for ILI/ARI consultation rates or announced the beginning of their season.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o WHO has reported further new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This brings the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 reported globally to six. In the UK there has been one confirmed imported case to date.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317137212115

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

Comment

Summary
Weekly influenza GP consultation rates remain low
------------
The proportion of samples positive increased for RSV, increased for rhinovirus,
parainfluenza and adenovirus, and remained stable for hMPV.
------------
RSV activity continues to increase
------------
No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 47
across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.
------------------
Up to week 47, 67.9% of people in England aged 65 years had vax
------------------

 Virology
o 30 (3.2%) of the 934 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 48 (6 A(H3), 5 A(H1N1)pdm09, 1 A subtype not known and 18 B). The proportion of samples positive continued to increase for RSV, particularly in the under five year olds; decreased for rhinovirus and adenovirus, and remained low for parainfluenza and hMPV.
o One influenza A and four influenza B positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 48.
 RSV activity continues to increase. Monoclonal antibodies (Palivizumub) are indicated for the prevention of RSV in at-risk children. For further information please see the relevant chapter in the Department of Health Immunisation handbook.

 Disease severity and mortality
o Three new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (two A(subtype not known) and one B) were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 48.
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 47 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 48, 69.6% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 45.7%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 35.4%.
o Provisional data from the first monthly collection of influenza vaccine uptake by frontline healthcare workers show 28.4% were vaccinated by 31 October 2012.

 International situation
o During week 47 2012, although the proportion of positive sentinel specimens has increased slightly since the early weeks of the season, there is currently little evidence of sustained influenza virus transmission in Europe - much of the clinical influenza activity is probably due to other respiratory pathogens including RSV.
o Countries of the Northern Hemisphere temperate region report increasing detections of influenza viruses, however none have crossed their seasonal threshold for ILI/ARI consultation rates.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o WHO has reported further new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus from Jordan. This brings the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 reported globally to nine. In the UK there has been one confirmed imported case to date.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317137280278

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

Comment

Summary
HPA Weekly National Influenza Report
Summary of UK surveillance of influenza and other seasonal respiratory illnesses
13 December 2012  Week 50 report (up to week 49 data)
Increases have been seen for several indicators of influenza activity in the 5-14 age group, in particular GP consultations and school respiratory outbreaks. Overall GP consultation rates and other indicators remain low.

 Overall weekly influenza GP consultation rates remain low but are increasing in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. o In week 49 (ending 09 December 2012), the weekly primary care ILI consultation rate was low in England (14.3 per 100,000 with the highest rate in 5-14 year olds of 31.2 per 100,000), Scotland (11.2 per 100,000), Northern Ireland (15.1 per 100,000) and Wales (6.6 per 100,000).
o The weekly proportion of NHS Direct calls for cold/flu and fever (5-14yrs) were below the early warning thresholds for influenza in week 49.
o 16 new acute respiratory disease outbreaks from schools have been reported in the past seven days. Out of the five with a virological result avaiable, three were confirmed as influenza B.

 Virology
o 45 (4.8%) of the 942 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 49 (5 A(H3), 4 A subtype not known and 36 B). The influenza B positivity in 5-14 year olds was 21.1%. The proportion of samples positive remained stable for RSV, rhinovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza and hMPV.
o Six influenza A(H3) and three influenza B positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 49, giving an overall positivity of 34.6%.

 Disease severity and mortality
o Six new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (two A(H1N1pdm09), two A(subtype not known) and two B) were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 49. Eleven new hospitalised confirmed influenza cases (seven due to influenza B) have been reported through the USISS sentinel hospital network across England.
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 49 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 49, 70.8% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 47.2%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 36.5%.
o Provisional data from the first monthly collection of influenza vaccine uptake by frontline healthcare workers show 28.4% were vaccinated by 31 October 2012.

 International situation
o During week 48 2012, the proportion of positive sentinel specimens has increased since the early weeks of the season but there is still currently little evidence of sustained influenza virus transmission in Europe.
o Many countries of the northern hemisphere temperate region, especially in North America, reported increasing influenza virus detections. Canada and the United States of America (USA) crossed their seasonal threshold but activity was highest in the southern part of the USA.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o Following on from the new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus from Jordan reported by WHO last week, the total number of global laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus 2012 reported currently stands at nine. In the UK there has been one confirmed imported case to date.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317137383587

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

Increases have been seen for several indicators of influenza activity in the 5-14 age group, in particular GP consultations and school respiratory outbreaks. Overall GP consultation rates and other influenza indicators are increasing. A letter has now been issued to the NHS that GPs may now prescribe antiviral medicines for the prophylaxis and treatment of influenza in accordance with NICE guidance.

 Overall weekly influenza GP consultation rates increased in England and Wales and remained stable in Scotland and Northern Ireland. o In week 50 (ending 16 December 2012), the weekly primary care ILI consultation rate increased in England (23.4 per 100,000 with the highest rate in 5-14 year olds of 46.9 per 100,000) and Wales (9.7 per 100,000) and remained stable in Scotland (11.8 per 100,000) and Northern Ireland (15.0 per 100,000).
o In week 50 2012, the weekly proportion of NHS Direct calls for cold/flu increased and the proportion for fever (5-14 yrs) is now just above the influenza threshold of 11.7%.
o 45 acute respiratory disease outbreaks (43 in schools and two in care homes) have been reported in the past seven days. Out of the six with a virological result available, four were confirmed as influenza B, one was influenza A(H3) and one was influenza B/A (unsubtyped).

 Virology
o 106 (11.3%) of the 937 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 50 (24 A(H3), 5 A subtype not known and 76 B). The influenza B positivity in 5-14 year olds was 36.5%. The proportion of samples positive decreased for RSV and rhinovirus and remained stable for adenovirus, parainfluenza and hMPV.
o Fourteen influenza B, four influenza A(H3) and two influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 50, giving an overall positivity of 39.2%.

 Disease severity and mortality
o 12 new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (one A(H1N1pdm09), six A(subtype not known) and five B) were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK in week 50. 15 new hospitalised confirmed influenza cases (12 due to influenza B) have been reported through the USISS sentinel hospital network across England.
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 50 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 50, 71.7% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 48.3%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 39.6%.
o Provisional data from the second monthly collection of influenza vaccine uptake by frontline healthcare workers show 40.8% were vaccinated by 30 November 2012.

 International situation
o During week 49 2012, based on reports of spread and the increasing proportion of specimens testing positive for influenza virus, the season of influenza transmission appears to have started in Europe.
o Many countries of the northern hemisphere temperate region, especially in North America, reported increasing influenza virus detections. Canada and the United States of America (USA) crossed their seasonal threshold but activity was highest in the southern part of the USA.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o The total number of global laboratory confirmed human cases of novel coronavirus 2012 reported to WHO currently stands at nine. In the UK there has been one confirmed imported case to date and the public health response around this case has been published here. Information on management and guidance of possible cases is available on the HPA website.
...
In week 50, 12 new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza infection (six A unknown subtype, five
B and one A(H1N1)pdm09) were reported across the UK (150/163 Trusts in England) through the USISS
mandatory ICU scheme (Figures 12 and 13). A total of 51 admissions (25 B, ten A(H3N2), ten A unknown
subtype and six A(H1N1)pdm09) have been reported since week 40 2012. Three confirmed influenza deaths
have been reported across the UK in ICU/HDU since week 40 (Figure 12).
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317137463806

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

Increases continue to be seen for several indicators of influenza activity. A letter has now been issued to the NHS that GPs may now prescribe antiviral medicines for the prophylaxis and treatment of influenza in accordance with NICE guidance.

Overall weekly influenza GP consultation rates across the UK.
o In week 51 (ending 23 December 2012), the weekly primary care ILI consultation rate increased in England (27.4 per 100,000), Wales (18.9 per 100,000) Scotland (19.7 per 100,000) and Northern Ireland (25.5 per 100,000).
o In week 51 2012, the weekly proportion of NHS Direct calls for cold/flu reached the influenza threshold of 1.6% and the proportion for fever (5-14 yrs) remained above the influenza threshold of 11.7%.
o 38 acute respiratory disease outbreaks (36 in schools and two in hospitals) have been reported in the past seven days. Out of the ten with a virological result available, eight were confirmed as influenza B, one was influenza A(unsubtyped) and one was RSV.

 Virology
o 137 (16.6%) of the 823 respiratory specimens reported to DataMart (England) tested positive for influenza in week 51 (116 B, 10 A(H3), 8 A subtype not known and 3 A(H1N1)pdm09). The influenza B positivity in 5-14 year olds was 50.0%. The proportion of samples positive decreased for RSV and remained stable for rhinovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza and hMPV.
o Two influenza B and one influenza A(H3) positive detections were recorded through the two English GP-based sentinel schemes in week 51.

 Disease severity and mortality
o 21 new admissions to ICU/HDU with confirmed influenza (eight B, five A(H3N2), five A(subtype not known) and three A(H1N1)pdm09) were reported through the USISS mandatory ICU surveillance scheme across the UK (128 Trusts in England) in week 51. 26 new hospitalised confirmed influenza cases have been reported through the USISS sentinel hospital network across England (18 Trusts).
o No excess all-cause mortality was seen by age group or region in week 50 across the UK as calculated with the EuroMOMO algorithm.

 Influenza vaccination
o Up to week 50, 71.7% of people in England aged 65 years and over had received the 2012/13 influenza vaccine (provisional data). For those in a clinical risk group aged under 65 years, provisional uptake was 48.3%.
o Amongst pregnant women, the provisional uptake was 39.6%.
o Provisional data from the second monthly collection of influenza vaccine uptake by frontline healthcare workers show 40.8% were vaccinated by 30 November 2012.

 International situation
o During week 50 2012, influenza activity is evident in some European countries based on the increasing proportion of positive specimens and sporadic spread over the last three weeks, but the circulation of influenza viruses is not generalised in the community.
o Many countries of the northern hemisphere temperate region are now reporting elevated detections of influenza, particularly in North America.

 Novel coronavirus 2012
o The total number of global laboratory confirmed human cases of novel coronavirus 2012 reported to WHO currently stands at nine. In the UK there has been one confirmed imported case to date and the public health response around this case has been published here. Information on management and guidance of possible cases is available on the HPA website.
...http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1317137526196

Twitter: @RonanKelly13
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

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